Project Information

Title:Rapid Assessment of Indirect Impacts due to the proposed Cabo Dorado Project

Client: International Community Foundation (ICF)- 2014

Project Description

Cabo del Este, in northern Los Cabos municipality, is a rural landscape that includes the Cabo Pulmo Marine Park, an area of great importance for regional biodiversity and tourism. Cabo Dorado (2014) is the most recent iteration of large-scale tourism projects proposed for the region. Although environmental impacts are required for this type of development, the indirect impacts of such projects are not always considered. This study aimed to focus on the indirect changes brought by the Cabo Dorado proposal, with particular focus on the identification of several population multipliers. These multipliers allow the estimation of the number of residents that could migrate to the region based on speculative employment. Additional analysis was realized to quantify the impact this new population would have upon the surrounding landscape and the effects upon the social fabric. Spatial analysis was applied to project the land demand of this incoming population, as a means to quantify the impacts upon the landscape and infrastructural needs.

The necessity to create long-lasting objectives addressing inequality is emphasized throughout the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, known as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This implies that income growth is not the only important measure for this goal. The roles of infrastructure, wage, social protection policies, and opportunities are noted as key contributors to this goal of increased equality. By measuring and quantifying inequality in GeoAdaptive, we understand how well programs or policies promote social justice and how these strategies might be supported by accessibility to infrastructure to reduce inequality and improve social development.